Tonys Make Whoopi, Reach New Heights

Sun., Jun. 15, 2008 10:02 PM PDT by Gina Serpe

AP Photo

The Great White Way is painting the town red tonight.

In the Heights and August: Osage County took home the top honors at the 62nd annual Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Play, respectively, while the revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific scooped up a leading seven trophies.

"I can guarantee you this moment beats the hell out of auditioning for JAG," August: Osage County actor-playwright Tracy Letts said of the win.

On the other end of the kudos spectrum, Sunday in the Park With George left the awards empty-handed despite an impressive nine nominations.

Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, meanwhile, received a lifetime achievement award.

Whoopi Goldberg hosted the history-making show, which made a big winner of Boyd Gaines, who took home the nod for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in Gypsy.

Gaines' gain marked his place in musical theater history as the most Tony-winning male actor ever. Julie Harris remains the biggest individual winner of all time at the Tony Awards, with five trophies in all.

The ceremony was televised live on CBS and, in an attempt to increase faltering ratings, was low on the actual dishing out of awards and big on showstopping performances, with the casts of The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Rent and Young Frankenstein all taking to the stage during the evening.

Here's a complete list of winners for the ceremony:

MUSICAL: In the Heights
PLAY: August: Osage County
REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL: South Pacific
REVIVAL OF A PLAY: Boeing-Boeing
DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL: South Pacific
DIRECTION OF A PLAY: August: Osage County
PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL: Paolo Szot, South Pacific
PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: Patti LuPone, Gypsy
PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY: Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY: Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL: Boyd Gaines, Gypsy
PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: Laura Benanti, Gypsy
PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY: Jim Norton, The Seafarer
PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY: Rondi Reed, August: Osage County
ORIGINAL SCORE: In the Heights
ORCHESTRATIONS: In the Heights
CHOREOGRAPHY: In the Heights
BOOK OF A MUSICAL: Passing Strange
COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: South Pacific
COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY: Les Liaisons Dangereuses
SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: South Pacific
SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY: August: Osage County
SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: South Pacific
SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY: The 39 Steps
LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: South Pacific
LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY: The 39 Steps
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Stephen Sondheim
REGIONAL THEATER AWARD: Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
SPECIAL TONY AWARD: Robert Russell Bennett